Ceramic Clay Work Surface

Every potter needs a surface to wedge clay on and there are many different types.

Ceramic clay work surface.

It can also be impossible to separate a newly formed clay object from the surface it was formed on. Common examples are earthenware porcelain and brick. The brightly colored flat craft foam that has become so popular for children s toys puzzles and crafts makes a wonderful work surface for handbuilding. Or you can use the smooth surface to give a glossy surface to your clay after baking.

You can make window clings by drizzling liquid polymer clay onto a ceramic tile and baking it directly on the tile. Other possibilities are concrete granite masonite concrete board and hardibacker board. A ceramic tile not an acrylic tile is a common choice for this purpose. For this reason it is best to work on a piece of sturdy canvas such as a mid to heavyweight cotton duck.

The simplest wedging surface is a piece of canvas. A ceramic is any of the various hard brittle heat resistant and corrosion resistant materials made by shaping and then firing a nonmetallic mineral such as clay at a high temperature. The closed cell foam is about 1 8 inch thick and doesn t leave a texture on clay so the larger sheets are great for rolling small slabs on a slab roller. Sculptors often stick their wad of clay to the work surface so that it stays in one place.

The crystallinity of ceramic materials ranges from highly oriented to semi crystalline vitrified and often completely amorphous e g glasses.